THERAPY

Art Therapy

Creative Sky Psychology offers Art Therapy in combination with Child and Teen Psychology. Art Therapy is an evidenced-based approach used by a Child Psychologist to help children and teens gain insight and express a wide variety of issues. Many children and teens have difficulties expressing their emotions and thoughts and benefit from having an outlet of expression. Art is often a fun activity for many children, which helps with therapeutic engagement.  

Art Therapy can be used to observe and gain insight into a child or teen’s underlying emotions and difficulties by interpreting the nonverbal symbols, messages, and metaphors in a child's artistic expression. This can be used to understand the feelings and possible underlying causes of their behaviours. While engaged in art, children and teens often lose a layer of self-consciousness and begin to open up as they access the emotional side of their brain. Some children and teens lack insight into their own thoughts and feelings. Art Therapy can help create a bridge; increasing awareness, openness, and the ability to heal. Art therapy allows for various thoughts and feelings to surface, leading to increased growth, wellness, and understanding.

  • Our Child and Teen Psychologists use a blended approach of Art Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help children understand how their thoughts and feelings interact, while using artistic expression. We find that children learn best when they are engaged in a strength-based activity. Art is often an interest based activity for children and works best in this context. At Creative Sky Psychology, we use a strength-based psychology approach to build skills and work on goals. 

     

    We offer workshops for health professionals on using art and cognitive therapy techniques with teens and children. Art Therapy can be helpful for children with regulation challenges, social issues, Anxiety, ADHD, Executive Function Challenges, and ASD.  

Art Therapy - Creative Sky Psychology

We Provide Therapy For Children With Challenges Related To:

Frequently Asked Questions

  • At Creative Sky Psychology, every child and family benefits from a tailored approach. Children that are comfortable talking with a Child Psychologist often don't require parents attending the session. Some children, however, find having a parent in the room can ease their anxiety. Children often feel comfortable attending therapy sessions alone very soon into the first session. In therapy, children have fun while they learn and are often quickly at ease. Another approach we commonly use at Creative Sky with young children is having a parent attend the first or last 10 minutes of the session. This allows us to teach the tools and strategies to parents which can then be used in the home. 

  • Contrary to popular belief, children do not need to have serious issues or struggles to see a Child Psychologist. A Child Psychologist can increase overall wellness by helping children develop awareness and the skills to thrive. This can be in developing emotional literacy, increasing coping skills, and building strengths and confidence. Parents may also book their own sessions before issues arise to learn about parenting strategies and how to increase their awareness of development and parenting practices. 

     A child will certainly benefit from seeing a Psychologist when they have struggles at home, school, or in the community. A Psychologist will ask about the impact an issue is having on your child’s functioning and well-being. It is best to seek help sooner than later. Often difficulties can become internalized, causing additional issues. This is often the case with social, emotional, or academic issues. When left untreated, children can develop anxiety or depression, and may experience long term difficulties.  

  • Children express mental health issues and distress in various ways. An experienced Child Psychologist knows what to look for. Often in children “behavioral” issues may arise. These behaviors can be misconstrued as “bad" or "oppositional”. Complaints such as headaches or stomach aches are also very common. Your child may experience difficulties with bedtime or experience nightmares. Kids experiencing psychological issues may also have changing sleep patterns. They may start avoiding friends or refuse to go to school. This can be very worrisome for parents and cause disruption to home life. It can also be difficult to tease out the difference between typical development and problematic issues. When your child is not thriving, an experienced Child Psychologist can help get things back on track. A child’s behavior is something observable, it is the “viewable” tip of the iceberg. At Creative Sky Psychology, we look underneath the iceberg and target therapy in this area causing the most impact. We help children learn to solve problems and deal with issues as they arise, in order to develop long term resiliency and independence. Children at Creative Sky Psychology learn coping skills, sensory regulation strategies, emotion regulation tools, social skills, and problem-solving strategies. The goal isn't to eliminate problems, rather to help children navigate challenges in a way that allows them to learn, grow, and thrive. 

    1. Difficulties with sleeping, either too much or too little 

    2. Nightmares

    3. Is very sensitive

    4. Avoiding friends and/or social situations

    5. Refusing to go to school

    6. Bullied at school or in their peer group

    7. Your child doesn't have friends

    8. A lack of joy and/or ongoing sadness

    9. Persistent anger

    10. Your teen no longer talks home or school

    11. Refusing to eat

    12.  Reoccurring headaches

    13.  Persistent stomach aches 

    14.  Exhibiting behaviour that is harmful to self or others

    15.  They have suicidal thoughts

    16.  Struggling with concentration

    17.  Becoming frustrated easily

    18.  Out of control behaviour or meltdowns

    19.  They are excessively worried or fearful

    20.  Shaking or sweating in certain situations

  • Most children are not opposed to going to a Psychologist. Your child will benefit from being prepared about what will be discussed and what to expect during their initial visit to a Psychologist. Talk to your child when they are calm and let them know they are going to a safe place where they are going to learn about themselves.  Similar to the first day of school, going to see a Psychologist for the first time can be an anxiety provoking situation.  Every child is different and if this is a concern reach out to the Child Psychologist prior to the session to discuss a plan as to how to approach this.

  • Child Psychology is an excellent tool used to gain insight into the underlying cause of your child’s struggles. We provide strength-based coping strategies to help your child to grow and thrive. A Child Psychologist can be very effective with supporting children to build strategies and tools that are unique to their challenges. As children develop tools and strategies they learn to manage such challenges, as well as build resiliency and coping strategies for future areas of difficulty. Creative Sky Psychology offers specialized Child Psychology services located in Calgary, Alberta. We have dedicated Child Psychologists for preschoolers, children, pre-teens, teens, and parents. Our Assessment Psychologists provide both Clinical and Psycho-Educational assessments when needed. We support families and parents and provide wholistic care for your child. Please call for an initial consultation or book online.

Child, Teen and Adult Psychologists in Calgary offering specialized support for all. Creative Sky Psychology offers Child, Teen and Adult Psychology services for ADHD, Anxiety, ASD, OCD, Depression, Learning Challenges, and Emotion Regulation Challenges. We have dedicated Psychologists for preschoolers, children, pre-teens, teens, adults, and parents. Our Assessment Psychologists provides psychoeducational, cognitive, and ASD assessments. We support children, teens, families and parents and provide wholistic care.